Newborn Photography

The truth is that most newborn baby photographs are done when the baby is sleeping. It’s ideal because you can place them in simple poses and they will usually stay. Notice that I said usually. Get ready to be very patient if the baby is fussy.

This is another reason to learn baby photography with a doll and then start to photograph real newborn babies later on. You really want to practice this and not have to stop every time a baby fusses. When you are learning it’s good to go through all the steps and do a photo shoot without stopping and resting for an hour or 30 minutes.

So…I digressed. Sorry.

For newborn baby photography: I love the little cocoon look. The younger they are the more flexible. Again you will need to be very careful while wrapping the baby. The cocoon look is time-less and has become a classic. It’s a great pose to do along with all the others. I think that this works very well when you shoot from above.

I love it when the little hands are showing over the fabric. If you cannot show both, try to show at least one hand.

This pose is very similar to the previous one. The difference here is that the baby’s head is not raised as much and the camera position is different.

My tips:

Put the camera strap on your neck.

Stand over the baby, and point the camera straight down. You will want to try several camera positions.

The camera place above and in the middle of the baby’s body.

The camera placed behind the baby’s head and the photographer will need to lean forward to get a good view

The camera placed in one of the sides (do not block the light).

If you are in my class you will see this image with different camera positions.

So these may seem obvious but the whole secret is to keep the camera as straight as possible when you are shooting from above. When you place the camera at an angle the baby will appear distorted.

I like to suggest to people to try everything so that you will get a feel. It’s the best way to learn newborn photography.